Amma Felix

President & CEO

Amma Felix joined Collegiate Directions, Inc. (CDI) in September 2017. She leads CDI's mission to close the educational opportunity gap for first-generation, low-income high school students by: providing academic and wrap-around support services to Scholars to ensure that they achieve college graduation and smooth transition into careers; and providing consulting services to high schools to support their efforts to advise students on finding their best-fit college option. Mrs. Felix also raises funds to support and sustain CDI and refines the business model to increase its footprint and deepen its impact. She works with the Board of Directors to set strategy and refine organizational priorities. Mrs. Felix sets the vision and leads the operations to execute against goals. She also positions CDI as a thought leader in the field of college access and completion.

Mrs. Felix previously worked at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) from 2012-2017. At UNCF, she was the Vice President, Strategy and Secretary of the Corporation for three years, having been promoted from the Chief of Staff position. During her tenure, she led the development and implementation of UNCF’s short- and long-term strategic priorities and change management processes. She also led the business planning process for the 25 fundraising offices. Mrs. Felix provided strategic leadership for the program development of UNCF’s $50 million Career Pathways Initiative, a college-to-career program. In her role as board secretary, she worked closely with the 43-member Board of Directors to facilitate the work of its eight committees that meet three times a year. She also directly managed the work of the board strategy and executive committees. Mrs. Felix also worked with the network of presidents of 37 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on major initiatives including federal higher education policy and capacity building.

Previously, Mrs. Felix was vice president for strategy management for the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) where she led the strategy, research, evaluation and evidence-based program planning efforts in the organization. An executive team member, she provided managerial support for a 100-person staff with a $9.4 million operating budget. At ADC, she raised $2.5 million and wrote their award-winning 2010 U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant. Prior to that she served as director of capacity building and special programs at the New York City office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, responsible for organizational development work and capacity-building grant-making activity. She managed a $1.05 million capacity-building initiative serving more than 40 community development groups across New York City. In previous positions, Mrs. Felix worked at the United Way of Central New York, managing its capacity-building initiatives, and at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services in Manhattan as the program operations administrator, ensuring compliance with performance-based contracts and managing a program restructuring effort that included a youth development-oriented service delivery model. Mrs. Felix also served as an adjunct lecturer at City University of New York/Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, where she taught public and nonprofit management to graduate students.

Mrs. Felix holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, a master’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse.  She is an active Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Mrs. Felix currently serves as a member of the Syracuse University Maxwell School Advisory Board.